THOUSANDS of pounds have been donated for wheelchair access in a communal park and gardens.

Construction will start immediately on a new path which will allow wheelchair users to visit the park.

The pathway will be constructed in Garden Fields in Steeple and run from the gate entrance of the field to the pergola and the community garden, which passes the play and exercise equipment. 

Steeple Community Group has had two large donations which will change the communal park and gardens.

Provide Community, a healthcare organisation based in Colchester, donated £5,000 to the cause.

Maldon District Council donated £1,500 due to a significant increase in material costs since the initial application for funding.

They hope the improved access will help wheelchair and pushchair users to enjoy the gardens.

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Kay Davey, chair of Steeple Community Group, said: “The donation from Provide Community has enabled pushchairs and wheelchair users to safely and easily access the facilities at the park.”

Provide Community has worked to plant a fruit orchard, build a pergola with mud kitchens for younger children and install a recycled clothes bin in the last few years.

Amy Jackson, the programme manager at Provide Community who nominated Steeple Community Group for the grant, said: “I hope that its new path will give it the much-needed accessibility for wheelchair users and those with pushchairs to make use of its wonderful community facilities.”

They're now looking for funding for an inclusive roundabout to add to the play equipment for the families with infants and young children.